International Software Testing Qualifications Board Certified Tester
Encyclopedia
ISTQB Certified Tester is a standardized qualification for software testers. The certification is offered by the ISTQB
(International Software Testing Qualifications Board), and is based on a multiple-choice exam covering the freely available syllabus. The education program is offered in over 47 countries (there are 47 Member Boards but some of them are regional, handling more than 1 country) (date: July 2010).
The ISTQB
was officially founded as the International Software Testing Qualifications Board in Edinburgh in November 2002.
The different Advanced Level exams are more practical and require deeper knowledge in special areas. Test Manager deals with planning and control of the test process. Functional Tester concerns, amongst other things, review
s and Black box testing
methods. Technical Tester includes component tests (also called unit test
), requiring knowledge of White box testing
and non-functional testing methods - this section also includes test tools. The Expert Level is still in preparation..
In USA exam fees for Foundation Level are $250.00. For Advanced Level each component exam is USD 200.00 and there is a one-time qualification fee of USD 100.00 (date: September 2006).
Certification is valid for life (Foundation Level and Advanced Level) and there is no requirement for recertification
.
Testing boards are responsible for the quality and the auditing of the examination. Worldwide there are testing boards in 47 countries (date: October 2010). In USA the corresponding organisation is the ASTQB (American Software Testing Qualifications Board
).
(Information Systems Examination Board).
ISTQB
The International Software Testing Qualifications Board is a software testing qualification certification organisation. Founded in Edinburgh in November 2002, ISTQB is a non-profit association legally registered in Belgium....
(International Software Testing Qualifications Board), and is based on a multiple-choice exam covering the freely available syllabus. The education program is offered in over 47 countries (there are 47 Member Boards but some of them are regional, handling more than 1 country) (date: July 2010).
The ISTQB
ISTQB
The International Software Testing Qualifications Board is a software testing qualification certification organisation. Founded in Edinburgh in November 2002, ISTQB is a non-profit association legally registered in Belgium....
was officially founded as the International Software Testing Qualifications Board in Edinburgh in November 2002.
Certifications
- Foundation Level (CTFL)
- Advanced Level - Test Manager
- Advanced Level - Test Analyst
- Advanced Level - Technical Test Analyst
- Advanced Level (CTAL) - Full Advanced Level (after passing the above exams of Advanced Level)
- Expert Level
Content of the exams
The exam for the Foundation Level has a theoretical nature and requires knowledge of software development - especially in the field of software testing.The different Advanced Level exams are more practical and require deeper knowledge in special areas. Test Manager deals with planning and control of the test process. Functional Tester concerns, amongst other things, review
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
s and Black box testing
Black box testing
Black-box testing is a method of software testing that tests the functionality of an application as opposed to its internal structures or workings . Specific knowledge of the application's code/internal structure and programming knowledge in general is not required...
methods. Technical Tester includes component tests (also called unit test
Unit test
In computer programming, unit testing is a method by which individual units of source code are tested to determine if they are fit for use.A unit is the smallest testable part of an application. In procedural programming a unit could be an entire module but is more commonly an individual function...
), requiring knowledge of White box testing
White box testing
White-box testing is a method of testing software that tests internal structures or workings of an application, as opposed to its functionality...
and non-functional testing methods - this section also includes test tools. The Expert Level is still in preparation..
Pre-requisites
The Foundation Level exam has no pre-requisites. To take the Advanced Level exam, candidates need to pass the Foundation Level exam first and must prove professional experience (for example - the USA requirement is 60 months, India 24 months and Germany 18 months).Exam
The exam consists of a multiple-choice test, which until 2005 about 80% of the candidates passed.In USA exam fees for Foundation Level are $250.00. For Advanced Level each component exam is USD 200.00 and there is a one-time qualification fee of USD 100.00 (date: September 2006).
Certification is valid for life (Foundation Level and Advanced Level) and there is no requirement for recertification
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
.
Testing boards are responsible for the quality and the auditing of the examination. Worldwide there are testing boards in 47 countries (date: October 2010). In USA the corresponding organisation is the ASTQB (American Software Testing Qualifications Board
American Software Testing Qualifications Board
The American Software Testing Qualifications Board was founded in 2003 as the American Testing Board. In April 2005, the name was changed to the American Software Testing Qualifications Board....
).
Registering for Exams
Candidates can learn more about ISTQB certification and exams in their country by visiting the ISTQB website and the local boards' websites.Figures about Certified Testers worldwide
As of June 2010 there were over 155,000 ISTQB Certified Testers, worldwide. One reason for this is that a number of organizations which offer other Software Testing certifications affiliate with ISTQB (e.g. ISEBISEB
The Information Systems Examinations Board is an examination awarding body and a part of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.Initially started as a collaboration between the National Computing Centre and BCS for the creation of the 'Certificate in Systems Analysis and Design' for the then Systems...
(Information Systems Examination Board).
Other Certifying Organisations
The QAI (Quality Assurance Institute) offers similar certification, in more than 40 countries.Foundation Level
- Thomas Müller (chair), Rex Black, Sigrid Eldh, Dorothy Graham, Klaus Olsen, Maaret Pyhäjärvi, Geoff Thompson and Erik van Veendendaal (2007) Certified Tester - Foundation Level Syllabus - Version 2007, International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB), Möhrendorf, Germany
- Andreas Spillner, Tilo Linz, Hans Schäfer (2006) Software Testing Foundations - A Study Guide for the Certified Tester Exam - Foundation Level - ISTQB compliant, 1st print. dpunkt.verlag GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany. ISBN 3-89864-363-8
- Andreas Spillner, Tilo Linz (2005) Basiswissen Softwaretest - Basiswissen Softwaretest: Aus- und Weiterbildung zum Certified Tester: Foundation Level nach ISTQB-Standard, 3rd extended and updated run, dpunkt.verlag GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany. ISBN 3-89864-358-1
- Brian Hambling (ed.) Peter Morgan, Geoff Thompson, Angelina Samaroo, Peter Williams (2006) Software Testing: An ISEB Foundation, British Computer Society, ISBN 978-1902505794
- Dorothy Graham, Erik van Veenendaal, Isabel Evans, and Rex Black. (2008). Foundations of Software Testing, Cengage, USA, ISBN 1844809897, ISBN 978-1844809899
Advanced Level
- German Testing Board e.V. (2003) Software Testing - Advanced Level Syllabus - ISTQB-Certified-Tester, Advanced Level, Version 1.2(E). European Organization for Quality - Software Group, Erlangen, Germany
- Erik van Veenendaal (ed. and author) (2005) The Testing Practitioner, 3rd run, UTN Publishers, CN Den Bosch, the Netherlands, ISBN 90-72194-65-9
- Andreas Spillner, Tilo Linz, Thomas Roßner, Mario Winter (2006) Praxiswissen Softwaretest - Testmanagement: Aus- und Weiterbildung zum Certified Tester: Advanced Level nach ISTQB-Standard, 1st run, dpunkt.verlag GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany, ISBN 3-89864-275-5
- Graham Bath / Judy McKay (2008) The Software Test Engineer’s Handbook - A Study Guide for the ISTQB Test Analyst and Technical Test Analyst Advanced Level Certificates, Rocky Nook, USA; ISBN 978-1-933952-24-6
- Andreas Spillner / Tilo Linz / Thomas Rossner / Mario Winter (2007) Software Testing Practice: Test Management, A Study Guide for the Certified Tester Exam ISTQB Advanced Level, Rocky Nook, USA, ISBN: ISBN 978-1-933952-13-0
See also
- International Software Testing Qualifications Board
- CSTE
- Software testingSoftware testingSoftware testing is an investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the product or service under test. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software...
- Verification and Validation (software)
- Andreas Spillner, Tilo Linz, Hans Schäfer (2007) Software Testing Foundations, 2nd Edition: A Study Guide for the Certified Tester Exam (Foundation Level – ISTQB compliant), Rocky Nook Inc, Santa Barbara, California, USA; ISBN 978-1-933952-08-6
- ISTQB vs ISEB - A comparison of qualifications Sogeti Ireland